Hédi Berkhissa

Hédi «Balha» Berkhissa (June 28, 1972, Kerkennah, Tunisia – January 4, 1997, Tunis, Tunisia) was a Tunisian footballer who played for Espérance and the Tunisian National Team as a defender. On January 4, 1997, in a friendly match between Espérance and French side Olympique Lyon at Stade Chedli Zouiten, Berkhissa had a heart attack on the field in the last minutes of the game and died.

Hédi Berkhissa

Painting on a wall in the city of Ariana, Tunisia. This painting was done in December 2020. It shows the player is still very popular, 23 years after his death. In white Arabic letters: "Lion's heart" above the nickname Balha. The background colors, red, yellow and black are the 3 colors of the Esperance Sportive de Tunis soccer club. At the bottom in Arabic: "Always alive" - this reminds people of the player's death during a soccer match
Personal information
Full name	Hédi Berkhissa
Date of birth	(1972-06-28)June 28, 1972
Place of birth	Remla, Tunisia
Date of death	January 4, 1997(1997-01-04) (aged 24)
Height	2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)
Position(s)	Left back
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1991–1997	Espérance	98	(9)
National team‡
1994–1997	Tunisia	26	(6)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of August 31, 2007 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23 June 2006